Middle School:

An abridged version of bystander intervention training happened Friday, January 14. Social Justice Educator Duane De Four and an associate spoke remotely to seventh and eighth graders, after which students had in-person workshops and a special schedule day. During this two-hour slot for workshops, students learned the specifics of microaggressions and privilege in society, among other topics. They discussed how to possibly intervene in different scenarios involving a student and teacher, two students, or a group of friends in public.

Students partook in the Geo Bee, a Middle School (MS) tradition where students compete within and then between their history classes to answer all types of historical and geographical questions. This year, the cross-class competition happened over Zoom from the individual classrooms. Though the sixth graders were unable to join the competition this year, on January 14 the 12 finalists from each respective history class section competed for the winning title, which Seth Kim ‘27 earned.

The Parents’ Association organized the winter ski trip to Waterville Valley on Monday, January 24. “The trip was a nice way to mark the end of the term, like a bookend,” Middle School Assistant Director Tony Breen said. The day off for students doubled as a work day for teachers to write up grades and comments.

Lower School:

Lower School (LS) students have been learning about sustainability through connections with experts from around the world through the World Leadership School (WLS). WLS is an independent organization that partners with over 100 independent and charter schools with a goal of forming youth leaders and reimagining learning. “We believe in providing students with opportunities to develop life skills that can help them become principled citizens of the world,” LS Director Anthony Reppucci said.

Fifth grade is reimagining migration in their curricula, which includes reshaping lesson plans or language around immigrants and their children in order to promote their stories.

The LS maker space is up and running again after serving as an additional classroom. The maker space is an innovation and tinkering hub for students to experiment for projects or for fun, and supplies them with crafting and other materials. Students can also travel to the art studio and music and science classes again instead of being limited to their homerooms.